Fore!
Studio album by
Huey Lewis and the News
ReleasedAugust 20, 1986
Recorded1985–1986
StudioStudio D Recording and The Plant, Sausalito, California; Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California.
Genre
Length37:53
LabelChrysalis
ProducerHuey Lewis and the News
Huey Lewis and the News chronology
Sports
(1983) 		Fore!
(1986) 		Small World
(1988)
Singles from Fore!
  1. "Stuck with You"
    Released: July 21, 1986
  2. "Hip to Be Square"
    Released: October 6, 1986
  3. "Jacob's Ladder"
    Released: January 5, 1987
  4. "I Know What I Like"
    Released: March 23, 1987
  5. "Simple as That"
    Released: 1987 (UK only)
  6. "Doing It All for My Baby"
    Released: June 29, 1987
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Record Mirror2/5[2]
Rolling Stone(favorable)[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]

Fore! is the fourth studio album by American rock band Huey Lewis and the News, released on August 20, 1986. The album was a commercial success, peaking at number one on the Billboard 200 and went on to score five top-ten Billboard Hot 100 singles, including the number-one hits, "Stuck with You" and "Jacob's Ladder". The album was certified three-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Music and lyrics

"Jacob's Ladder" was originally meant for a Bruce Hornsby album that Huey Lewis was producing.[5] Hornsby did not like the arrangement his band played, and it was given to Lewis.[5]

"Doing It All for My Baby" was written by Mike Duke and Phil Cody. Duke wrote the song and then recorded vocals himself (the band playing backing parts and instruments), with the intention of getting a record contract for his own solo career.[6] When that plan fell through, Lewis decided to record a version with his own vocals for the album.[6]

Lewis stated he originally wrote the lyrics for "Hip to Be Square" in a third person perspective, "He used to be a renegade..."[7] He referenced the book Bobos in Paradise in describing the song's inspiration, explaining that the song was about the "phenomenon where people from the '60s started to drop back in, cut their hair, work out, that kind of crap, but they kept their bohemian tastes. ... bourgeois bohemians." Lewis later modified the lyrics to be in the first person as he believed it would enhance the joke, but stated this had unintentionally led to the interpretation of the song as an "anthem for square people".[7][8]

According to Lewis, the album track "Forest for the Trees" was written for and about kids struggling with life issues as an uplifting message for them.[9] Lewis based it off the letters he received from young fans at the time who would talk about how important his music was to them.[9]

"The Power of Love", originally from the soundtrack of the 1985 film Back to the Future, is included as a bonus track on international editions of the album. The song was the band's first chart-topper on the Billboard Hot 100.

Album cover

The wall that Lewis and the members of the band stand against on the album's cover is a wall from Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, California. Band members Bill Gibson, Sean Hopper and Mario Cipollina went to this school together.[citation needed]

In popular culture

The album is referenced in the film American Psycho. The main character Patrick Bateman, while talking to one of his potential victims, gives a review of the album, discussing the band's viewpoint, intent, and how specifically the song "Hip to Be Square" espouses "the pleasures of conformity" but with a catchy 1980s beat, going on to state it is "the group's most accomplished album".

Track listing

Fore! – Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Jacob's Ladder"
3:33
2."Stuck with You"
4:29
3."Whole Lotta Lovin'"
3:30
4."Doing It All for My Baby"
  • Phil Cody
  • Mike Duke
3:39
5."Hip to Be Square"
  • Bill Gibson
  • Sean Hopper
  • Lewis
4:05
6."I Know What I Like"
  • Hayes
  • Lewis
3:59
7."I Never Walk Alone"
3:44
8."Forest for the Trees"
  • Jerome Fletcher
  • Gibson
  • Lewis
3:28
9."Naturally"
  • Colla
  • Lewis
2:52
10."Simple as That"
4:27
Total length:37:53
Fore! – International edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
8."The Power of Love" (from Back to the Future)
  • Lewis
  • Hayes
  • Colla
4:22
9."Forest for the Trees"
  • Fletcher
  • Gibson
  • Lewis
3:28
10."Naturally"
  • Colla
  • Lewis
2:52
11."Simple as That"
  • Kupka
  • Castillo
  • Biner
4:27
Total length:41:48

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[36] 5× Platinum 500,000^
Germany (BVMI)[37] Gold 250,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[38] Platinum 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[39] 2× Platinum 600,000^
United States (RIAA)[40] 3× Platinum 3,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Fore! - Review, Allmusic.com
  2. ^ Smith, Robin (September 13, 1986). "Albums: Huey Lewis and the News – Fore! (Chrysalis)" (PDF). Record Mirror. London: Spotlight Publications Ltd. p. 18. ISSN 0144-5804. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 23, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2024 – via World Radio History.
  3. ^ Rob Hoeburger, Huey Lewis and the News: Fore! : Music Reviews, Rollingstone.com, October 9, 1986
  4. ^ Evans, Paul (2004). "Huey Lewis and the News". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 482. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  5. ^ a b "Question of the Week". Hueylewisandthenews.com. August 25, 2013. Archived from the original on August 31, 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Huey Lewis Fan Q&A: March 23, 2014". Archived from the original on March 29, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  7. ^ a b Blerly, Mandi (August 4, 2008). "Name That Movie Mondays! (Vol. 7: Special Huey Lewis & the News edition)". Entertainment Weekly.
  8. ^ Graff, Gary (September 22, 2021). "How Huey Lewis Overcame Commercial 'Pressure' for Massive 'Fore!'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Huey Lewis Fan Q&A: June 17, 2019". Archived from the original on November 3, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  10. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, NSW. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  11. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Huey Lewis and the News – Fore!" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  12. ^ a b "Billboard Magazine". Billboard. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  13. ^ "RPM: Huey Lewis and the News (albums)". RPM Magazine. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  14. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Huey Lewis and the News – Fore!" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  15. ^ "Billboard". books.google.com. November 15, 1986. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  16. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 263. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  17. ^ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  18. ^ "Tonlist Top 40". DV. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  19. ^ "Oricon Archive – Huey Lewis and the News". Oricon. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  20. ^ "Charts.nz – Huey Lewis and the News – Fore!". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  21. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Huey Lewis and the News – Fore!". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  22. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Huey Lewis and the News – Fore!". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  23. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Huey Lewis and the News – Fore!". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  24. ^ "Huey Lewis and the News Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  25. ^ "Huey Lewis the News Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  26. ^ * Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: albums chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  27. ^ "The RPM Top 100 Albums of 1986". RPM. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  28. ^ "The Top 50 Albums of 1986". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  29. ^ "The Top 20 Albums of Høst 1986". Archived from the original on September 9, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  30. ^ Hung, Steffen. "Swiss Year-End Charts 1986 – swisscharts.com". Archived from the original on March 30, 2014.
  31. ^ "Top 100 Albums". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications: 25. January 24, 1987.
  32. ^ "The RPM Top 100 Albums of 1987". RPM. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  33. ^ "The Top 50 Albums of 1987". Archived from the original on February 10, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  34. ^ "Top 100 Albums". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications: 25. January 24, 1988.
  35. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-end: 1987". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  36. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Huey Lewis and the News – Fore!". Music Canada. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  37. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Huey Lewis and the News; 'Fore!')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  38. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Huey Lewis and the News – Fore!". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  39. ^ "British album certifications – Huey Lewis and the News – Fore". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  40. ^ "American album certifications – Huey Lewis & the News – Fore!". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
Categories